Give and Take
by TiCe
Summary: Erik and Christine's tale was a difficult tragic one. Their story is appreciated by millions and loved by many. An obsessed phan girl is living out the tale, in her own Christine like naiveness, and her Erik counterpart is paying the price. ModernNormal


Give and Take

**Disclaimer: **In a nutshell….I own nothing except for Cecile, Ryder and Derek. That'd be about it.

It had been almost ten years to the day that she discovered the joy, the excellence of the story that had forever changed her life. The tale of a love that was never quite requited but for all intensive purposes, and in her warped mind had been. The story was never completely finished, that's what she had decided was the excuse for the inconsequential ending. There was too much passion, heat between the star crossed lovers that were Erik and Christine. The true beauty and the beast, of Parisian decent. Cecile had been studying the details of the story since she had first stumbled upon the book when she was a mere 7 or 8 years old. She had been, enthralled with the tale even though she didn't understand the full effect of it, till her later years. Her curiosity and her need to prove herself as a better reader then her fellow students had her picking out novels that were far beyond her comprehension. She was 12 when she finally saw the stage version, and bought the soundtrack shortly after. Having a small talent for singing in general, she tailored her voice for several years to be able to hit the soprano notes that Christine could belt out. Her heart went out to the phantom and when she was 17, the movie version had flooded the commercial public. Phantom was a hit again, revived out of the woodwork. Dragging her best friend, Derek, to the midnight premiere on Christmas Eve, made her eyes well with tears and her love for Erik grow stronger with every note Gerard Butler hit. Derek, a pretty well reserved guy, decent looking with dark brown hair and green eyes but for all of his habits and demeanor was and is what people would mostly consider a geek. Cecile was quite a beauty in his eyes, although a diamond in the rough in her own. Her impossible curls in her dark brown hair, to her almond brown eyes, and naturally bronzed skin were in her opinion quite dull, the only reason she felt she had any potential is she slightly, very slightly, if you perhaps squinted a little, looked like Emmy Rossum, who she always considered the rightful Christine, the book Christine with her blonde locks and blue eyes seemed to a-typical European. She much more preferred the humble beauty the movie version portrayed. Gerard Butler also was who she pictured as Erik, especially with her dedicated southern wall of her room. She was far more seduced by him, then any other version. Raoul was a touchy subject for her, she had deciding disliked him since the moment she read his description in Leroux. He is best left unmentioned, or Cecile will pull out all of her reports she did based upon the fact that it's because of the lack of womanly confidence and rights that prompted Christine's decision.

Derek felt it best to avoid all such mentions.

What Cecile did know is that she forced her obsession on her best friend, what she didn't know is that Derek actually liked it, or that he related to Erik. He had a secret love, and he wore a mask. Not physically, but in his façade as best friend. In his shield as a geek, loser. That he wasn't as handsome as Ryder. He was class president, most popular, best at everything he ever tried, Ryder Charles. Also the love of Cecile's life. Not that he knew that, but he was loved at a distance. Only Derek really knew well…Maggie did to, but that was really it. Cecile was convinced it was meant to be, since her and Ryder used to be neighbors when they were basically born. They had play dates and were the best of friends before Cecile moved, to where she lives now, AKA right next to Derek. In return, no one, and he meant no one knew about his love for Cecile. Remembering the exact moment it was 3 months ago. He had been coming over to pick Cecile up before they went to someplace, he couldn't actually remember. Walking from his lawn to her lawn, and walking past a window. Someone had been singing, a beautiful melody, that he instantly remembered hearing about a zillion times. Stopping dead in his tracks he stared at an angle into the window, to see his best friend singing out to a CD. She looked like an angel, dressed all in white with her brown curls hanging around her face to her elbows and a pink ribbon acting as a head band. She was straitening up the living room, singing her heart out. She was bouncing around the room putting pillows back in place and stacking magazines, singing and the waiting for the recorded reply. She was in the middle of putting a pillow back on the couch, when she suddenly stopped, and closed her eyes as the music slowed on the CD.

…_But his voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet sound_

_In the night there was music in my mind_

_Then from music my soul began to soar!_

_And I heard as I never heard before._

_Yet in his eyes all the sadness in the world_

_In those eyes, that both threatened and adored._

She opened her eyes and tossed the pillow on the couch that she had clenched in her hands. The song had changed to an orchestra sounding song, and she gave a disgusted sigh and stuck out her tongue in disgust. She ran over the stereo and hit the next song to come on. He laughed at her silliness of, having such disgust at a stupid song. Still watching her, he realized that, that passage that she had just sung, gave him goose bumps. It had made him shiver and feel warm at the same time. He watch as she sat on the couch and bopped along to her soundtrack of opera songs, knowing that she was probably the only person he knew that would actually do that. In that moment he realized that he didn't believe he wanted to meet another person that could or would. That she was the only person he'd ever want to have to see, or that he'd even consider listening to this stuff for. Standing there, peering in like a stalker, Derek realized that he loved Cecile. He was her Erik, or Raoul, because he actually wanted to end up with her. She wouldn't want him to be her Raoul he decided. Erik it would be. Sometime that night, as they were together, Derek had come to the conclusion that no matter how much he wanted to, he could not tell Cecile of his feelings, ever. Fear was what mostly held him back, but what he realized that while he had her full attention, her gaze wandered to Ryder way to much. When asked about it, she would respond that she was just thinking about her old neighborhood, her old friends, and old crushes. Unfortunately, it wasn't as old as she said. Also to Derek's dismay that was the day Ryder finally noticed. He approached the table, that Cecile and Derek happened to be sharing at the local diner/hang out.

"I do believe, I owe you one Barbie." He was directly behind Cecile, winking at Derek. Cecile whipped around and smiled.

"You remember!"

"Of course, you wouldn't stop crying. I'm sorry my scissors got the best of me and a permanent marker, I thought you'd have like it." He came up to the side of the table, sitting in a spare chair. Derek frowned; his foot had been resting on it. This Ryder had a habit of getting what he wanted.

"I told you I didn't mind playing Power Rangers, as long as we could play house for at least a little bit."

"It wasn't any fun. Plus you loved being the pink ranger." He shrugged his shoulders giving her a million watt smile. Cecile was about to reply when Derek cleared his throat and brought the attention to himself.

"Oh, Ryder. This is my friend…"

"Derek." He finished for her. "But, I'm just leaving." Derek quickly stood up and pushed in his chair.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. See you around school." Ryder held out his hand, he grabbed it and gave it a quick shake, with a nod towards Cecile he ran out of the restaurant. Jumping in his car he drove all the way home, and before he knew it he was in his room screaming into a pillow. Sitting up, realizing he was in complete darkness except for his laptop sitting on his desk he began to write. Not quite sure as to what he was writing he was writing what he felt, what he wanted to feel and all that was in between. He did what he could to relieve any pain or confusion that he would ever feel. It was his outlet, his way of expressing himself. He gave another frustrated sigh as he realized his own creations weren't getting anywhere either, as he threw his head into his hands. Quickly looking up towards his door, because it was thrown open was his temporary distraction from his own failure. The reason he had such torment was standing in the doorway with a grin he never seen before on her face, and a piece of paper clenched in her hand. She had yet to speak, so he stood up to go to her, when she squealed loudly and threw her arms around his neck. Being the last thing he expected he was shocked when his face was buried in her soft curls.

"What's going on!" He was bewildered

"They're doing it! They are finally doing it!" She screeched her most chipper voice.

"What? Doing what?" He asked, he really needed to know what she was talking about before she suffocated him with her strong hugs and made him go deaf with her impossibly high screeches.

"The Phantom of the Opera! This forsaken school finally got some taste. I need to go practice! I was born to play Christine…I got to go. By the way, you are going to be involved…a stage hand or something." And with that she was gone. And Derek stood bewildered. Turning away from the door he went to walk to his desk to collect his thoughts, and how this new development could change his plans. Not that he actually had any but the thought of creating plans based upon this would work out perfectly.

"I'm not sure how to go about this…." He said to himself.

"You are not, but I most certainly am, monsieur." Startled by the voice of a French laden accent he turned to the wall with his full length mirror. Instead of his own reflection, there was a reflection of an image he would have not recognized if it weren't for his best friend. Derek was fairly certain that there, in his mirror, was Erik…The fictitious Opera Ghost.

**AN:** There how was it? Was it interesting? Good..okay…suck beyond belief..please let me know. I don't know how this turned out, I just felt the urge to write and I did. I hope you enjoy it and don't feel like it was a waste of time. I'll like it very much if you did enjoy it, let me know please review just gimme some kind of hit as to whether or not you would read another chapter….okay I'm done pleading…for now.


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